NCJ Number
77974
Date Published
1977
Length
81 pages
Annotation
This document contains written and oral testimony concerning the impact of the U.S. drug control program on American citizens detained in Bolivian jails on drug-related charges.
Abstract
This Senate subcommittee examined whether the Bolivian judicial system deprives young Americans--the great majority of whom are not charged with heavy trafficking of drugs--of their due process and basic human rights. Second, the subcommittee considered whether the State Department, through its political and consular representatives in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Embassy in La Paz, has adequately protected the interests of American citizens during their arrests and incarcerations. The subcommittee also examined whether it is possible to continue a bilateral narcotics control program with Bolivia if it means the continued deprivation of rights of U.S. citizens. In addition, the committee considered whether Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents have acted within their charter and whether the State Department and the Congress can act to accelerate the judicial process in Bolivia. Testimony was presented by members of Congress and State Department and DEA personnel. Appended material includes letters from families and friends of American citizens missing in South America, a profile of drug enforcement in Bolivia, and Administration comments.